It’s National Summer Learning Day on June 21st! This advocacy day aims to spread awareness of the critical role learning plays in the summer months for kids from all backgrounds and socioeconomic standing.

Why is summer learning so important? Research shows:

All young people experience learning loss when they are not engaged in a summer learning activity.

Most students lose about two months of grade level equivalency in mathematical computation skills over the summer months.

Only about 10 percent of students nationwide participate in summer school or attend schools with non-traditional calendars.

There are many ways parents can give students summer learning experiences, from no cost/low cost experiences to structured day camps.

Get creative. If you need creative summer learning ideas for students of any age, try searching on Pinterest for low or no cost learning. Do you have a piece of chalk and a young child who needs some educational entertaining while you work in the yard? Try this gardening activity, and follow creator Cathy James on Pinterest.

Read a book. Encourage summer vacationers to read at least three books this summer. Keep your home library fresh by taking a weekly trip to the library, trading books at a used book store, signing up for reading challenges, or picking up a new genre of writing your kids haven’t been exposed to. LifeBound books are a great way for students to round-out their reading repertoire with nonfiction literature, which is being integrated into the majority of classrooms through the Common Core State Standards. The summer is a great time to develop social and emotional skills and get prepared for the new academic year. Watch this recent Edutopia video on the importance of social and emotional skills on academic success.

Take a summer class. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are a great no-cost way for older students to keep their brain engaged during the summer months, while learning some new skills they don’t get in middle or high school. Share the top MOOC providers, like Udacity, Coursera, EdX, and Udemy, with your kids. There are also many day camp options in your community. For National Summer Learning Day, LifeBound is offering a 50% discount on our 5-day summer enrichment workshops in July. Check out the Summer Learning Day activities and deals happening in your area by clicking on the map below.

Get outside. It’s summer time, so take advantage of the farmer’s markets, festivals, fairs, and the outdoors. There’s always something to be learned when you step out the door and try something new.

These are just a few ideas to keep kids occupied with valuable learning experiences through the summer months. Please share your ideas and tips on how you balance summer with learning and fun.